A Plus Ultra Proposal
by PredictableEmphasis
Summary: With school long behind them and their careers in full swing, class 1-A is exceeding all expectations. But as Izuku strives to achieve his goal of becoming the number one hero, he faces his most challenging obstacle yet.
1. Chapter 1

_The meek shall inherit the Earth._

Sure, it was a comforting enough platitude for Midoriya Izuku when he was young, weak; afraid. But when he took the sum total of his life thus far into consideration, he realized now that it meant more than some assurance that karma would have its day on those who had once belittled or tormented him.

What it really meant, or at least what he took it to mean, was that those who endure strife find within themselves the strength to succeed—to win.

And Izuku made a pretty good case for that interpretation.

He stared up from his hypnotic introspection to pay notice to the achievements that now surrounded him—achievements he had earned. His own hero agency. A monument to his inner strength. A testament to the mantra he'd been taught from adolescence: _Plus Ultra_. And although he had learned to acknowledge his own achievements, (which, in itself, was no small feat, requiring constant encouragement and admonishing from his friends) he also could never forget the help he had received along the way, nor the help he continued to receive.

He never would have met All Might if his dear mother hadn't supported his near-unattainable dreams. He never would have been accepted to U.A. if not for All Might's faith and mentorship in him. He never would have made it through the application test if not for the kindness and care of Uraraka Ochaco. He never would have made it through the trials and tribulations of his youth without his fellow classmates, his teachers, his guides. And, as it turns out, he never would have been able to start the Agency he now sat within if not for the help of his oldest friend, his oldest tormentor, his arch-rival: Katsuki Bakugo.

And, as though he had a listening device planted directly in Izuku's brain, the door flew open. His bombastic partner stormed in and flung himself into his office chair, momentum rolling him back a few feet. He groaned loudly and frustratedly rubbed at his eyes.

"When th' FUCK are we gonna get another call?!" he whined to no one in particular. Izuku smiled. In spite of being in their late 20s, in spite of growing up, it seemed as though young Bakugo would cling to himself with the same reckless, angry stubbornness he had always possessed.

And indeed, Izuku admitted, Bakugo had matured a great deal. They both had. After their second fight a little more than halfway into their first year at U.A., the dynamic of their relationship had changed. At the time, Izuku had the vague notion that something was different, but now, looking back, Izuku could see the bigger picture. He had always admired Bakugo, but before that fight it had been due to the unhealthy _need_ to be recognized. And Bakugo had always loathed Izuku, but before that fight it had been due to a projection of his own insecurities. They found mutual respect that night, or the embers of it, and over the next two years that ash began to burn more brightly.

The two ended their tenure at U.A. with a promise: to drive each other to heights they never knew they were capable of achieving. It was a bittersweet moment. Izuku had made so many friends, had met the love of his life, had gained the respect and care of too many to count. But at that moment, to know that the boy who had once hated him now viewed him as an equal, it validated everything Izuku had ever fought for more than almost anything.

A few years passed and the two went their separate ways, working with different hero agencies. After some time, though, it became apparent to both of them, independently, that they were meant for more than sidekick work. At their 5-year class reunion, it was Bakugo who approached Izuku and made the suggestion.

And now, here they sat, older, wiser, one who had found confidence, the other who had found humility. And it was Bakugo who he needed at that moment. No one could spur Izuku into action like Bakugo.

His ears must have been burning, or perhaps Izuku had been muttering to himself. As young Bakugo clung desperately to his older self, so too did young Izuku linger. They had each outgrown many bad habits, but not all of them.

"What's wrong?" Bakugo huffed, pointedly. His impatient gaze was fixed on Izuku.

"What? Oh...it's, uh, it's nothing," Izuku stuttered. He hadn't expected to be called out so bluntly. He didn't know why he hadn't expected it, but he didn't.

Bakugo rolled his eyes and clicked his teeth. "Fine, don't talk. But don't say I didn't ask."

Izuku cracked a half-grin. Maybe Bakugo was the person to talk to about his predicament. Izuku had always hated discussing his inner-turmoil. It was a behavior he now realized was unhealthy, but he couldn't help but feel as though he would be burdening those around him with his baggage. He much preferred to be the savior, the friendly ear, the shoulder to lean on. It fed well into his heroism, but it was yet another childhood habit he was trying hard to break. Fortunately, he had a girlfriend who wasn't shy about prying into his tightly-shut mind.

His girlfriend. Uraraka Ochaco. Something bugged him about continuing to refer to her as his "girlfriend". It had been bugging him for a few months now. He was a man. She deserved an upgrade from "girlfriend".

Yes, perhaps Bakugo could help him. His cold indifference to the personal problems of his friends might appear to the outsider to be callous and uncaring, but as Izuku, Kirishima, and many others knew, it was simply his nature.

"Well," Izuku inhaled deeply. "Actually…there is something on my mind, now that you mention it."

"No shit. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. I can hear your teeth grinding from all the way over here," Bakugo replied, not bothering to look at Izuku, instead tending to the flecks of dust he now absentmindedly flicked off his desk.

"You know, Ochaco and I have been together for a while now…"

Bakugo grunted. A clear indication he was listening.

"Well...I'm thinking about...you know…"

Flick.

Izuku stared down at his hands. He was twiddling his thumbs without realizing it. An idiosyncrasy of Ochaco's that he had picked up unwittingly.

"I'm thinking about proposing to her."

He braced for a response. But what he heard instead was a _click_ , and the sound of the television. He looked up.

Bakugo was now reclining in his office chair, legs kicked up on the desk, flipping through channels.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Hard not to, small office," he replied, curtly.

Izuku eyed him quizzically. "And?"

"And, what?" Bakugo fired back.

"What do you think?"

"I think if you're gonna be a pussy about it, you can do it by yourself."

"I'm not being a pussy about it, I'm asking your opinion-"

Bakugo swung around his chair and planted his feet firmly on the ground. "No, what you're doing is fishing for any reason not to do it. You're being pathetic."

"You think I'm trying to convince myself not to marry her?" Izuku said slowly, disbelief dripping from the words.

Bakugo groaned again, loudly. "Deku, when you want something, ya don't fuck around, you set your mind to it and you make it happen. You always have. So when you pussyfoot around like this, using words like 'thinking about' or 'planning to' it tells me one of two things: either you're not serious about it, or you're scared."

He spun his chair back around swiftly and kicked his feet back up again.

"If it's the first, then shut the fuck up already. And if it's the second, then I oughtta come over there and beat the shit out of you until you sack up and do it," he finished, fixing his attention back on the TV.

"You couldn't beat the shit out of a punching bag with diarrhea," Izuku snapped. Even though he had the confidence of an adult hero, that kind of verbal sparring was uncharacteristic of him. Especially cursing. Turns out, it wasn't just Ochaco's idiosyncrasies he was picking up.

In one swift motion, Bakugo stood, turned, and kicked his chair back forcefully into the wall behind him. Izuku heard a crack and winced. "You want some, Deku scru-"

Before Bakugo could finish, the phone rang. Both their eyelines shot towards the phones on their desks. A second ring. Their arms snapped out like a snake lashing at its prey. Bakugo got there first.

"Talk."

* * *

Deku stood amongst the debris of the nearly-successfully robbed bank, hands planted firmly on his hips, chest puffed out, chin held high. He was putting on his best All Might impression. The former hostages swarmed him, each trying to convey their appreciation while they choked down tears of relief.

"Thank you all, citizens. Everything is fine now. We are here!" he proclaimed, loudly. At home, in private, among friends, he nearly never accepted praise. Out here though, he couldn't afford to be so humble. A symbol of peace and protection must stand resolute.

He had learned the lessons of his now-gone mentor well.

When the majority of the crowd cleared, Izuku took a moment to sit. Fighting villains was easy, but putting on a show for an adoring crowd sapped all his energy.

 _Either you're not serious about it, or you're scared._

The accusation rang in his head like a claxon. The call had distracted him from it at the time, but now, sitting alone, Izuku let his friend's words sink in. After years of verbal and physical abuse by Bakugo, his skin had hardened to unwarranted criticism. He could usually filter out the hyperbole, or ignore it entirely. But right now, Bakugo's words stung Izuku, and Izuku needed to determine why.

The notion that he didn't love Ochaco was preposterous. Maybe that's why he felt his face burning right now. She was everything to Izuku, from the day they met. She was the first person to ever show him unwarranted kindness. In one sentence she completely nullified the stigma and the cruelty he had come to associate with his boyhood nickname. She impressed him time and time again with her open heart and her ferocious compassion.

He remembered the first time he noticed her, beyond her simply being the first girl who had ever treated him like a human. She had turned down his offer of help in their first Sports Festival at U.A., a decision Izuku feared would lead to her defeat. God, he hated the thought that he ever considered her to be so weak. His intention was good, but what an insult it must have been to her for him to offer his help, as though it were some great blessing. She was one of his classmates after all, and the hero course at U.A. is small enough that her presence in it warranted far more respect than he afforded her at that moment.

So off she went, to face off against one of the most vicious heroes of their age. To everyone it looked like it would be over in moments. But when Izuku saw that she had a plan, that she nearly brought him down, and that her determination wouldn't quit until she finally succumbed to her injuries...it made his heart race.

He loved her. He daydreamt often about the concept of the two of them as a crime-fighting duo, rather than Izuku and Bakugo. The romantic in him relished in the thought, like it was some guilty pleasure. And though they did have a great deal of compatibility when it came to fighting (having paired up a number of times over the years), they both knew that working with Bakugo was what was best for Izuku, just as Ochaco succeeding Gunhead was what was best for her. He still shook his head in disbelief that he ever considered Ochaco would go into the support hero line of work.

Izuku thought again about Bakugo's words. _Either you're not serious about it, or you're scared._ He _was_ serious about it. He wanted Ochaco in his life, always. Even now he longed to be with her.

So with option one eliminated, he moved onto option two.

Was he scared?


	2. Chapter 2

With a gentle push the door to his apartment drifted open. He removed the key from the lock and trudged inside. In a practiced motion, he slid his feet from his sneakers and flopped onto the floor. When Ochaco heard him, she'd run out and pretend to resuscitate him, like a paramedic. One of their fun games. It made her laugh, so he didn't mind acting like a buffoon. He loved her laugh.

Only no one came. He peeked out the corner of his eye and noticed many of the lights were off.

 _I guess I beat her home…_ he thought, sullenly picking himself up off the floor and making his way to his bedroom. As he went to remove his hero gear, a pang of panic overtook him, as he quickly realized he was no longer wearing his costume, but rather his pedestrian clothes. The panic quickly faded, however. He still had not yet gotten used to leaving his costume in his new office.

He changed quickly into comfortable clothes, a pair of mesh shorts and a t-shirt, before returning to the living room and flopping down on the couch. He turned on his cell phone for the first time since he left for the crime-in-progress and found a list of notifications.

 _ **Ochoco-Chip**_

 _Going to be home late! I'll pick up dinner :)_

 _ **Mom**_

 _Be safe, sweetheart 3_

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

 _I saw you on TV :O!_

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

 _Btw, i'll be picking up pizza, what toppings do you want?_

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

 _Soooo i only just now realized your phone is probably not with you lol. So we're having pepperoni and mushroom._

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

… _and breadsticks._

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

… _..and brownies._

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

 _(the brownies are mine)_

 _ **Mom**_

 _Text me when you get home, please :)_

 _ **Ochaco-Chip**_

 _Okay I'm FINALLY on my way home. Wear something sexy for me ;)_

As he finished reading the last message, he realized he was wearing a massive, stupid grin. What could he do? He was helpless beneath the powers of his silly, loveable, energetic girlfriend.

Girlfriend. It still sounded wrong. Like he was still a teenager.

Suddenly, a key turned in the lock outside the apartment. Izuku realized he was sitting in the dark, having neglected to turn on any lights himself. A devious idea entered his mind.

The door popped open and Ochaco loudly exclaimed, "I am here!" wielding a pizza in one hand, and a bag which presumably held the breadsticks and brownies in the other. Upon seeing the lights were off, however, she deflated like a balloon. It was all Izuku could do to contain himself, to not give up the charade and comfort her. She was like a sad puppy. It pained him. But he had a job to do.

She sighed and flipped on a light switch, slipping off her own shoes and setting the food on the counter. As soon as he was sure their dinner would not be caught in the crossfire, he sprang up from in front of the couch yelling, "No, _I_ am here!"

Ochaco yelped and nearly leapt out of her skin, immediately covering her mouth with her hands to silence her instinctual terror. This was a mistake, however. Her feet barely left the ground before she had to blurt out "Release!"

Izuku slumped over the back of the couch, laughing like a maniac, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. She pouted dramatically for a moment, but joy overtook her temporary frustration. She leapt over the couch, pouncing on Izuku.

Her momentum knocked them both off, wedging them between the couch and the coffee table. They didn't care. They smothered each other in an embrace. Her head tucked under his chin and she nuzzled him fondly while he wrapped her in his scarred arms. He could stay there forever, stuck uncomfortably with his head pressed against the corner of the coffee table and his leg still lodged in between couch cushions.

Ochaco broke free from his grasp and propped herself up on his chest, careful to keep one finger off of him. She eyed him up and down.

"So you got my text, I see," she smirked.

"I was reading them when you walked in. Didn't quite have enough time to put anything 'sexy' on, I'm afraid," Izuku said, feigning remorse.

"This'll do, I suppose," she sighed, dramatically. It seemed that whenever he was with someone from 1-A, it was hard not to behave like a child. It was especially hard around Ochaco. Her bubbly energy was infectious.

"But actually, I like when you wear these clothes. I love when you show off your arms," she fawned, pulling one of his muscled appendages up and kissing it gently.

"What's gotten into you tonight?" Izuku laughed, pulling himself up and out from underneath her.

"I dunno, I just really missed you today," she smiled, still holding his arm affectionately, tracing the scars with a finger.

"I really missed you, too," he replied. He placed a hand to her face and caressed it, lifting her chin and leaning in, placing a lone kiss on her soft lips.

"Izuku, you're so sappy!" she giggled, tussling his hair and jumping up to her feet.

"And hungry," he said, clutching his now rumbling stomach.

"Did you see my text about seeing you on TV?" she asked as she walked around the corner into their bedroom.

"Yeah," Izuku said as he pulled himself back onto the couch. That reminded him. He sent a text to his mother.

 _ **Izuku**_

 _I'm home, mommy :) I love you._

He shook his head. The text he just sent almost gave him a toothache. But he'd always be his mother's son.

"I love that you're still excited whenever one of us is on TV," he said, letting his nose lead him to the food.

"Are you kidding?" she shouted back. "I adore seeing you do your All Might voice," she giggled.

He cringed. He knew she was being sincere, but he still felt so goofy doing it—like he was wearing clothes three sizes too big. He had been on TV before, yes, but ever since All Might's retirement so many years ago, a significant population of heroes took to All Might's mannerisms. It wasn't until recently, following the formation of his agency, that he began to stand apart from the rest, so the attention he received for bearing the proverbial torch of his predecessor was appreciated, but also relatively new. That wasn't really who he was, after all, it was just who he needed to be.

"Stop being embarrassed," she called from the bedroom. She knew him well.

"I'm not, promise!" he said, right before stuffing a whole breadstick into his mouth.

"Liar," Ochaco teased, walking back into the living room. She had changed out of her athletic clothes into one of Izuku's shirts and a pair of shorts. Her hair was up in a loose bun. It made his heart flutter.

She giggled again at the sight of Izuku, and bit off a piece of the breadstick hanging from his lips.

It was going to be a good night.

* * *

One hour, one pizza, eight breadsticks, and half a tin of brownies later, the pair were laid out on the couch, nearly incapacitated by the carb catastrophe they had just endured. Izuku sprawled on his back lengthwise, his frame completely covering it, and Ochaco laid on her back on top of him, groaning in discomfort. Every now and then she would shift slightly and he'd get a mouthful of her hair, or unneeded pressure would be applied to his gut. He didn't mind, though. He relished the feeling of her body against his.

"Why did you make me get brownieeeeees…" Ochaco whined, her voice muffled by the arm she had draped across her face.

"I know, it was downright villainous of me," Izuku joked, poking her side with a finger. Her body recoiled with each prod, giggles escaping her lips like bubbles from under the water.

She grabbed the assaulting appendage and pulled it up around her waist, fastening herself against him. With one hand now firmly trapped behind her, he brought down his other hand from the top of the couch to flank.

"Izuku stooooooop," she croaked, somewhere between a moan of exasperation and a laugh. She suddenly flipped over onto her front, creating a sandwich with Izuku rather than a stack. She rested her chin on his sternum and stared up at his face, which he shifted up against the arm of the couch. In silence, they looked at each other. The eight inch gap between their faces was full of admiration, adoration, appreciation, hope, expectations, and everything in between.

He thought about when they were children. They used to be so awkward. They could barely inhabit the same five-foot space, let alone make any kind of physical contact without completely falling apart.

 _An unfortunate byproduct of my middle school experience, and Ochaco's own not-inconsequential awkwardness_ , he thought.

Even their first year together was like navigating a maze suspended above a pit of lava. One misstep would send either of them hurtling towards a shame-spiral that preceded a three-day period of no contact. Their first kiss was basically an accident.

" _Deku, this is...a little embarrassing, but...c-can...can you see if I have a booger up my nose?" Ochaco asked, her cheeks pinkening rapidly._

" _U-um, I mean, I mean yes! Of course, Uraraka!" Izuku replied eagerly, too eagerly he realized after saying it. But he also didn't want her to feel like she had made him uncomfortable._

 _They were alone in the classroom at the moment. Since they began dating, they liked to arrive in their classroom early, as it was the only place around school grounds they were sure to_ not _run into any of their classmates. They were even earlier than Iida, a feat not easily accomplished._

 _Confident that no one else was around, she tilted her head back slightly and Izuku leaned forward. The light was casting a perfect shadow across her nostrils, so he had to lean in even closer. He wished he had a magnifying glass and a flashlight._

 _At that moment, Iida burst into the classroom with what Izuku was certain was the same level of energy he carried with him from jumping out of bed 'til his head hit the pillow again._

 _The sudden appearance of another person startled Izuku, who, in an effort to escape the sound his fight-or-flight response interpreted as threatening, moved forward—into Ochaco._

 _Their lips touched._

" _Ah, Midoriya! Uraraka! Another fine-" Iida began, in a voice too-loud for the proximity they shared. The sight he beheld stopped him in his tracks. Yet another feat not easily accomplished. Ochaco and Izuku were two for two that day._

 _By any socially capable individual's standards, what they were doing could not be classified as a kiss. In a literal sense, they were just pressing their faces together. But to them, it was like they had just broken down a wall between them._

 _Their eyes were wide open as they parted, neither one daring to blink. Iida, coincidentally, had also not blinked._

 _Suddenly, Ochaco's face shifted from surprise to a determined smile. She pumped her arms up in the air and shouted, "YYYYYES!"_

 _Someone lit a fire in her heart, and that someone was Izuku, who was still too dazed to notice._

Izuku smirked. For the rest of that day, she wouldn't stop approaching strangers and announcing to the world that they had finally kissed. The dweeb. The lovable, passionate, dweeb.

"What?" Ochaco asked cautiously, the corners of her mouth curling upward ever so slightly.

"Nothing, I just…" He stared at her.

"I just really like you."

Her smile warmed him more than her whole body. Like a satisfied cat, she nuzzled her head back into his chest and closed her eyes.

They used to have trouble holding hands, and now they'd rather be wearing the same pair of clothes if they could help it.

 _Either you're not serious about it, or you're scared._

So why was he scared?

* * *

"You smell good."

Izuku's eyes cracked open. Had he fallen asleep? He blinked a few times, giving his brain a moment to boot up. He surveyed his surroundings. Ochaco was still on top of him, and he was still on the couch. What time was it?

"What'd you say?"

"I said," she started, more slowly this time. She tilted her head up and stared right into his eyes. It was a _different_ look than earlier.

" _You smell good_."

A shiver ran down his body. Like a jolt of electricity. This was the same girl who asked him to check for boogers before they had kissed.

"I haven't showered since this morning, you know," Izuku said, sliding his fingers gently up and down her arms. Was that supposed to be sexy? He admitted, he still didn't know if he was saying the right things most of the time.

She propped herself up a bit, sliding her legs around his waist, straddling him.

Guess so.

"You know, I was thinking, we could play a game, if you're not too tired," she suggested coyly, a devilish smile brewing.

"I think I could, uh, muster the energy," Izuku replied, moving his hands from her arms to her hips. She wasn't dainty by any means, having gained a bit of muscle from the Gunhead school of training, but in his sizeable grasp she felt fragile.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, what did you say?" she said, her playful attitude dripping off her words like honey.

"I can go beyond," Izuku said, sitting up and sliding his arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. " _Plus ultra_."

"That's the Deku I love." Ochaco breathed the words into his ear. Her hands moved slowly up his arms and into the tangles of his hair. It was shorter than it used to be, but even at this length she liked to play with green waves atop his head.

He felt a tingling sensation from the top of his scalp down to the middle of his back. Desire was creeping in. His lips went hungrily for the soft skin of her neck, sucking lightly as he moved along it. She inhaled sharply.

"What game...did you want...to play…" he asked, slipping the words between his kisses.

He could feel her tense from her shoulders to her fingers against his head. She almost didn't hear him, almost didn't want to hear him. Didn't want to prolong it anymore.

But she regained control and tore away from him. "Wait here," she commanded. Her face was thoroughly red. She moved to stand, but returned to his lips for one last deep kiss. Her legs moved first, tugging her mouth away from his. The last part of her to leave him was a finger wrapped in one of the curls of his hair. She pranced around the corner into their bedroom.

He took the brief respite to sit up straight and slap his face a few times. His mind was racing, running through an entire playbook of "strategies" he had devised over the years with her. It was much like the notebooks he kept on all his favorite heroes over the years, only this one was all in his head, and it was all about Ochaco.

After what felt like an eternity, he heard a call from the other room.

"Save me!" Ochaco exclaimed.

 _Sorry, Mom,_ he mused.

He sprang up, ready for action. In a single bound, he went from the couch to the corner, and in another he was in their room.

Inside, on their bed, Ochaco was curled up in the bed sheets, only one particularly round and firm part of her body peering out naked from underneath.

He peeled of his shirt.

"It's alright now, do you know why?" he began.

"Why's that?" Ochaco asked, her bottom wiggling expectantly.

"Because I am here."

A hero's work was never done.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day began like any other. Izuku and Ochaco struggled to leave the warm little den they had constructed from their sheets, but eventually one of them found the inner strength to push forward. The other, suddenly deprived of a heat source, had no reason to remain and so too joined the first.

By the time he had gotten out of the shower, she was already sitting at the counter, sipping coffee. She watched him walk from the bathroom to the bedroom like she was admiring a piece of artwork. He felt like a piece of meat.

He didn't mind.

Both dressed for the day, they walked each other down to the entrance of their apartment. They would part with a hug and a kiss, and a promise to see each other that night.

It was such an insignificant thing, promising they'd see each other in the evening; of course, they always saw each other in the evening. But to them, it was more a promise to themselves rather than each other. A promise that they would be safe. That they would live. That they _would_ see each other that night.

It was a hard thing, knowing the person you loved was at risk of great injury, great peril, to know they were doing so of their own volition, and knowing there was nothing you could say to convince them not to do so. It certainly put into perspective for him how his mother must have felt whenever he'd return home after gaining a new scar.

But this was the life they chose, the one that made them happy. And the knowledge that every day presented new dangers meant that they appreciated their life at home all the more. He always wanted to be a hero, but in her he discovered something that fulfilled him in ways he never could have imagined. And now he couldn't imagine one without the other.

So _what_ was scaring him _?!_

The thought had been eating at him all night. Ochaco had done well to distract him from his own introspection, but once they had finished their "game" and she had dozed off, all he could do was lie there, staring at the ceiling, forced to face what he had been trying to escape all day.

It was maddening. Izuku was not the type of person who scared easily. Well, in the past, maybe not so much. But he was definitely not the type of person to let fear rule his life.

Sure, he'd been scared before. He was scared when Bakugo was taken by that sludge villain so many years ago. He was scared when he faced off against the Nomu, Shigaraki, Stain, Muscular, and many more times after. But when it came right down to it, his selfless desire to help others, his drive to be a hero, always won out against his baser instincts. If Izuku was anything, it was selfless.

 _Selfless_ …

An ugly thought crossed Izuku's mind: what if his interest in proposing _wasn't_ a selfless act? What if it was a selfish one?

After all, he and Ochaco had been romantically involved for over a decade by now. And not once had she ever mentioned to him a desire to wed. Wasn't marriage a desire for many young women?

Izuku admitted that his perception might be skewed by his own lack of interpersonal knowledge, gaining most of his understanding of people by studying them from afar early on in his life. But even so, in over ten years he had to think that it _should_ come up at least once if she was even remotely interested.

What if _she_ didn't want to get married?

It wasn't a notion he felt comfortable entertaining. Not because he thought she didn't love him; no, she had to fight for quite some time to convince him of her sincerity and devotion. She had to painstakingly tear down the walls of Izuku's insecurities to reach that point.

The reason it made him uncomfortable was that it meant he might have been missing signs from her all this time without realizing it. And here he was, on the verge of "popping the question", as they say, without even considering for a moment if Ochaco was actually interested at all!

The more time the idea rattled around his head, the more sense it made. There are plenty of women in the world who are against the idea of marriage altogether! And there are plenty of valid reasons for that belief, too. For one thing, a piece of metal and a certificate wasn't a promise of love and devotion, at most it was a legally binding contract to be recognized in the eyes of the government. Maybe Ochaco viewed marriage as an unnecessary extra step in a relationship, a lock thrown on a cage to ensure that someone wouldn't be able to escape it without grueling effort.

 _Oh God,_ he reeled. _If I propose will Ochaco think I want to make her my love-prisoner? Will she think_ I _think of her as an object to be possessed?_

His felt his stomach flip end over end. He wanted to throw up.

As if a reminder set off inside his head to check in with reality, he looked up and around. He had been walking for some length without being fully aware of his surroundings. But lo and behold, he had made it to his office unscathed.

"Oi!"

He blinked.

"Didja forget yer keys, moron? Stop staring and go in!"

Bakugo. He scanned left to right and spotted the telltale blond cap down the sidewalk. The people around him would start to give him dirty looks for yelling in public, but once they recognized who was yelling, and to whom he was yelling, their eyes lit up in wonder.

"Is that?"

"It's Ground Zero!"

"Deku! It's Deku!"

"Now you've done it," Bakugo groaned, quickening his pace to the door.

Izuku began fumbling with his keys. _Whatever you do today, do_ not _let him know that he got in your head_ , Izuku thought. The last thing he needed right now was Bakugo lording that over him.

Finding the right key, he unlocked the office door and pried it open just in time for Bakugo to slip in, slamming it shut behind him. The force sent Izuku's keys onto the pavement, but before he could grab them he was suddenly swarmed by a crowd of passersby.

 _Dammit, Bakugo_ , he cursed inwardly. His mood was foul already from the negative spiral his inner monologue had been flushed down not moments earlier. Kacchan's presence today would not put him at ease.

 _Maybe a different routine today,_ he mused, contemplating his options. _But first…_

He inhaled deeply, puffed out his chests, pushed back his shoulders, shoved his fists firmly on his hips, and turned in a dramatically glorious flourish.

"Deku is here!" he announced to the world. The crowd cheered.


	4. Chapter 4

An hour later, he ducked back out of his agency, adorned in his costume. When he mentioned to Bakugo his interest in patrolling alone this morning, Bakugo was—in classic Bakugo fashion—completely indifferent.

" _Yeah, whatever," he shrugged, tinkering with his own equipment. "Just keep your phone handy, wouldja? If somethin' comes up I'm gonna need you to handle the crowd. Ya' know, after I've already dealt with the villains," he grinned._

Izuku used to find Bakugo's aversion to crowds oxymoronic. A pro-hero who didn't care about his fans? One who wanted to be number one at that?

But after looking back on their childhood, it was clear from the beginning that Bakugo cared little for the praise of those he considered inferior. Publicly, anyway. Izuku was sure that Bakugo enjoyed it, but he would never admit it. Partly because it kept up this appearance of aloofness, but also partly because Bakugo probably believed if he settled just for the adoration of his fans, he'd never attain his goal. The only approval Bakugo really sought was internal.

Izuku admired that aspect of him. His assuredness in his own capabilities, his self-esteem, and his self-awareness were all qualities Izuku tried to embody every day, but sometimes fell short on. If Bakugo were in Izuku's position, he'd have proposed already.

Izuku stopped. He accepted that Bakugo would be his rival professionally. It was healthy, constructive, and it kept him moving forward. But he would not be drawn into that level of self-doubt. Not anymore. He was too old for it, too experienced. If there was one thing Izuku was sure he was better at than Bakugo, it was relationships.

He slapped his cheeks lightly with both hands, trying to snap himself out of his funk. He could afford to be distracted at home, but not now. Not when he was on the job.

He set off again with purpose, but the confidence in his stride very rapidly slipped away as thoughts of Ochaco's reactions to his proposal flooded his mind, crashing against the walls of his head like water sloshing around the hull of a sinking ship. He grabbed his hair in exasperation.

 _Easy enough to_ say _I shouldn't get distracted,_ he thought, bemoaning his inability to keep himself focused. Back in school, it was easy. He was completely oblivious to Ochaco's interest, so he didn't have to be the one to agonize over it. Truth be told, he didn't even concern himself with the thought of getting involved with someone because the idea that someone might want to be involved with him never occurred to him.

But now he was the one wracking his brain and she was the one living blissfully unaware of his turmoil.

If nothing else, he could say that the score was settled. But that was a minor consolation, like winning third place in a contest and getting a button instead of the first place prize money. What he needed wasn't "at least", what he needed was a full-on course correction. He needed guidance. He needed-

"MIDORIYA!"

Izuku spun his head around, scanning for the source of the familiar voice. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a head and shoulders towering over the crowd, adorned in sleek, white armor.

The pro-hero Ingenium, his childhood friend: Tenya Iida.

* * *

After prying himself from Iida's enthusiastic embrace, Izuku gave his friend a warm smile.

"Iida, I'm surprised to see you down here! What brings you to our district?"

Iida's shoulders tensed slightly. He gave his surrounding a quick check, ensuring no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. In a low voice, he replied "I'm tracking a criminal, and the police believe he's made his way to this district."

Izuku knew Iida had a tendency to dial the intensity of situations up to 11, but something about the tone of his voice, the stiffness in his stance, reminded Izuku of when they fought Stain. Iida took matters seriously by nature, but this was more than that.

"This is the first I'm hearing about it," Izuku replied in an equally low voice. "Though, our agency is still small. I suppose we wouldn't be the first the police would contact-"

"It's not just you, Midoriya. No one outside of the Iida agency and the police know about this."

Izuku was taken aback by this information. Traditionally, police would reach out to all affected agencies with information regarding criminals under investigation, if the media didn't get the word out sooner. "Why the secrecy?"

Iida sighed. "I'd like to explain it to you further, Midoriya, but unfortunately we are both on the job. We should not waste any more time with idle chit-chat," he admonished.

 _Never change, Iida,_ Izuku thought. Then, an idea.

"Well, I'm just patrolling right now, why don't we work together for the time being? Besides, you know you can trust me, Iida," Izuku proposed, placing his hands on his hips in a confident manner, hoping it would be enough to sway Iida's opinion.

"That is an excellent idea, Midoriya! It'll be just like old times!" Iida exclaimed. Izuku jumped, startled by the sudden rise in Iida's volume.

Iida placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder, and suddenly Izuku found himself being pushed down the street, propelled by will and enthusiasm.

* * *

"So, why the secrecy? That is, if you don't mind me asking," Izuku pried. "If you don't want to talk about it anymore, that's fine, too."

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it, Midoriya. But the police are...concerned," Iida's voice trailed off.

"In what way?"

"This villain has been working very quietly," Iida explained. "This is of notable concern to the police due to the considerable power of his quirk. Or, at least, what they believe is a powerful quirk."

"Why is that strange?"

"Midoriya, you've seen as much as I have. You know the answer to that question," Iida replied.

Izuku mulled the thought. "Well, I suppose in the past, the villains we've faced with powerful quirks were all too eager to show their power off to the world…"

"That's right. The more powerful the quirk, the more emboldened the villains were. Even All For One, a villain of great patience and intellect, felt confident displaying his powers so publicly when he almost defeated All Might," Iida said. "So the police believe that the villain I'm tracking now may have some agenda beyond simple acts of violence."

"You said the police are concerned, but are you? Be honest, Iida," Izuku asked, anxiety creeping into his voice.

Iida did not answer immediately. Even from behind the mask, Izuku could sense Iida's brow furrowing in contemplation. Finally, Iida replied, "Yes."

Izuku felt a chill run down his spine. Iida was right, the two of them _had_ seen a great deal, and as children to boot.

"I won't lie to you, Midoriya. Whatever quirk this villain possesses, it is on par in terms of destruction with Overhaul, and Shigaraki. And the fact that his spree has only just begun, and in such a restrained way…" His voice trailed off again. He stopped.

"It feels like someone has just lit a fuse, and there's only so much time before a bomb goes off. And we have no idea where it is."

Izuku realized he'd been holding in a breath. He swallowed hard and exhaled slowly.

"Don't you think," Izuku began, slowly, "that it would be in the best interest of the heroes of this district to know what they might be dealing with?"

"The police don't want panic, and they don't want to announce anything until they know more. It's clear this villain doesn't want to be discovered yet, and we don't want him to believe that he has been, or he might scurry back into whatever dark hole he crawled out of," Iida replied sternly.

"Those are all valid points, Iida, but if he's as dangerous as you think he might be, well…" An image of Ochaco entered Izuku's mind. "I just want to avoid unnecessary casualties."

Iida placed a hand under his chin. "You may be right, Midoriya. Knowledge can be dangerous if it spreads like a wildfire, uncontrolled. But it may also be a tool, when properly disseminated. I will approach the police with this. Thank you for your concern. It was not something we had considered."

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. When the idea first occurred to him, Ochaco was not the initial concern. But the thought of something happening to her because she wasn't prepared would have gnawed at him all day if he didn't say something.

"But enough about these matters, Midoriya. When I first approached you, I could tell that you were distracted. Perhaps you have something you'd wish to tell me?" Iida said, moving forward once more.

"Distracted?" Izuku blinked. He couldn't remember what had been bothering him before. All he could think about right now was Ochaco, and what he would do if something happened to her before he could-

He blinked again.

"Oh," Izuku groaned, as the river of anxiety he'd been trying to dam up all morning came flooding back into his mind. "It's, uh, it's nothing, Iida. It seems so trivial now, compared to what we just discussed…"

"Nonsense, Midoriya," Iida replied, placing a hand firmly on Izuku's shoulder. "As heroes, we have a duty to the people of the world to help them. How can we be expected to do so if we do not first help ourselves?"

Izuku smiled. Iida was a rock, one that he was happy to call a friend. Perhaps what he needed right now was Iida's guidance.

"Well, alright. I've been thinking about-"

" _When you pussyfoot around like this, using words like 'thinking about' or 'planning to' it tells me one of two things: either you're not serious about it, or you're scared."_

"-I want to propose to Ochaco."

"MIDORIYA!" Iida shouted, stopping dead in his tracks and swinging Izuku around to face him, placing his other hand on Izuku's other shoulder and gripping tightly. "That is most excellent news! I will tell our other friends immediately!"

Izuku grabbed Iida's arm, which was already quickly reaching for his cell phone. "Whoa whoa whoa, Iida, slow down."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, it's just…" He exhaled. "We've been together for a long time now."

"Yes, your relationship has been growing like an oak tree, sturdy and resolute," Iida agreed.

"...Right. But in all that time, Ochaco has never once expressed interest-to me, at least-that she'd like to get married," Izuku finished.

"Ahh, I see now the source of your concern," Iida replied gravely.

"Iida, your parents were both pro heroes, how did they make it work?"

"Well, Midoriya, my mother retired as soon as she and my father got married. Switched to the business side of our family's agency," Iida said.

 _Retired?_ Izuku thought, melancholy striking at his heart. He could never, _ever_ ask Ochaco to retire for them, and as for Izuku, the thought of retiring had never once crossed his mind. It was the only thing he ever wanted to do, and he'd spent so long working for it, he could never give it up.

"That's the only way they could make it work?" Izuku asked, worriedly.

"As I'm sure you and Uraraka are well aware, balancing a hero life and a home life can be...challenging at best."

Izuku considered how little time he and Ochaco were actually able to spend together already.

"Trying to introduce a family into the mix...well, suffice to say a sacrifice had to be made," Iida said.

"Wasn't she, you know, sad? About having to retire?"

"She was at first, but once my older brother was born, she told me she found a new sense of purpose," Iida replied. "But keep in mind, my parents had had numerous conversations about all of this long before my father proposed. They had already worked out a plan, and they knew their priorities, as I'm sure you and Uraraka-" Iida paused, taking note of the rapidly sinking expression on Izuku's face. "Or perhaps I'm mistaken…"

"We've...never had that kind of conversation before. About our future, I mean. It's just...never come up…" Izuku said, struggling to get the words out.

"I apologize in advance if this seems like a mischaracterization, Midoriya, but it always seemed to me that, in matters of interpersonal communication, neither you nor Uraraka were particularly confrontational," Iida remarked.

He had a point, Izuku realized. Neither of them had ever been forceful about the direction their relationship took. Everything that ever happened to them had happened by accident, or by external pressure. Their first kiss was an accident, even the suggestion that they move in together was made by Mina of all people. Sure, once they finally tackled the problem they dealt with it together, but it took them both a long time to do so.

"Neither one of you wants to feel like they're responsible for introducing discomfort, or outright conflict, into a relationship that has been, for all intents and purposes, sailing rather smoothly," Iida added.

"You're right, Iida...we've never even had a real fight…" Izuku stated, despondently. Would asking Ochaco to marry him be the spark that would burn their relationship to ash? Would that be the fight that ended them?

Before he or Iida could try to unbury Izuku from the growing pile of negative thoughts, a cry for help rang out down the street, and citizens began running past them, away from whatever threat had suddenly appeared.

Iida and Izuku looked at each other, and with silent affirmation, activated their quirks and sped into danger's way once more.


End file.
